A little reminder about what is meant by called “blog marketing”. The term blogs with no additional components attached to it are referred to as pure blogging or just plain old writing your thoughts and putting them online.
That’s not quite right, though. That version of the profession has always been around in some form or another. What sets most professional bloggers apart from writers with no plan for sharing their work is that they have an easy way to spread their messages across media channels.
And I mean really spread them- billboards, TV commercials, podcasts, direct mailers, you name it! The channel doesn’t matter, as long as people can find out how to get access to you.
This element of the job comes next. To keep up this channel spreading will cost money, lots of money. And there’s nothing wrong with that! It's a great way to market yourself (and your services) if you're willing to put in the effort to make it work.
Advertising is a powerful tool used in marketing to promote or advertise products or services. It’s usually cost-effective, relatively easy to create, and will use your resources (time, money, etc.) to spread its message.
The term “advertising” comes from the Latin word adsophere, which means “to announce, tell about, convey.” In modern times, it more frequently refers to telling or informing people how to buy something or convince them to purchase a product.
Many advertisements are designed to appeal directly to emotions – offering solutions that make you feel good about yourself or the situation you’re in. This is called manipulation, and it’s not always ethical.
But what if there was no need for a manipulative advertisement? What if someone created an advertisement that didn’t require you to spend money buying whatever they're promoting? That would be ridiculous right?!?
That's why I wanted to talk about blogging as an example of business marketing. And while most blogs include some kind of promotional content like recipes or tips, their true purpose is to earn revenue via advertising.
So what are we talking about when we say advertising? Let me give you a few examples.
A website is an online location where you can create or edit content, include links to other websites, and promote the site for business or sales. It is also called a web property or just a website!
Most people refer to the word “website” as the acronym W3 (the first three letters of the word “web.”) but that isn’t quite right.
The word “site” is actually shorter so most professional marketers use that instead. Some say it is more accurate because the word “web” has gone through several different definitions depending on what era you are talking about.
We will stick with the original definition though – a website is a place on the internet containing text and/or multimedia content designed to draw in visitors, to keep them there longer than usual, and to convert some of those visitors into buyers or subscribers.
Keywords are just words, but they’re not like normal words you would use to describe something. They’re much more specific!
When performing keyword research, rather than using “beach towels” as your search term, use “Ocean-Friendly Beach Towels” or “Surfboard Shade Clothings”. Using our earlier example, what products could I possibly sell that have nothing to do with beaches or surfs?
I don’t really sell beach towels, so I won’t be investing in any such products when doing my initial keyword analysis.
Instead of looking for general terms like “Beach” or “Surfing”, look instead for phrases such as “How to Bake the Best Oatmeal Cookies”, “Surfboard Season”, or “Winter Warmup Routines For Surfers”. These are way better indicators of what products people are seeking out via Google searches.
After determining which keywords trigger an interesting amount of traffic, add these keywords into some type of content marketing tool (like YouTube, Facebook, etc.
Starting from your website, work through all of your online channels to find new ways to promote your business.
You will probably have to test out different strategies before you see success. That is what makes blogging so great! You get to try out new things for yourself and if they don’t work, you can always pick another one!
The more active forms of social media you use to promote your company, the better chance you have of having some sort of success. People who are interested in your products or services may be able to tell when you’re no longer actively promoting yours.
Blogging is a nice middle ground between text-based messages and video. It’s good to know about companies and people which means that writing about them is a way to gain exposure.
But remember, just because something works now doesn’t mean it will continue to do so in the future. Your best bet is to develop strong habits and keep building on them, not only today but every day.
Starting off with an understanding of your audience is one of the most important things to do when marketing via blogs. Who you are writing for, what they want, and how much you agree with their beliefs and opinions will all play a crucial role in how well you market through blogging.
As we discussed before, knowing who your readers are comes down to paying close attention to those people that you already have. If you’re reading this article then there’s a good chance that you know at least some of the people that read this website!
By now you probably also have an idea of what kind of content they enjoy so offering them more of that can help boost reader engagement. And finally, if you’ve got any ideas or insights about something related to your field then share them – even if it’s just a quick comment on another person's article.
Your comments don’t need to be very long but taking time to say something personal sets yourself apart from the rest.
Starting from the very beginning, you will need to make a list of everything you have already done to develop an audience for your voice. This includes things like creating social media accounts such as Facebook and Twitter, developing a creative portfolio, starting a blogging website or online journal, and more.
You can’t expect people to find you if you don’t exist anywhere yet! Once you do, add some detail to what you are working on by writing about it and linking to it.
While most of these activities fall under the category of “blogging,” they all play different roles in building your brand. When you start promoting yourself, be sure to include both internal and external links to strengthen your reputation.
Internal links refer to references to other parts of your business, while external links connect you to other websites that may offer value to your followers. Both types of link create trust for your product, which is important when people look up you on Google or visit your site directly.
Making friends in the industry is another way to build credibility. Plus, talking about you and your products puts in perspective how much others think about you.
Starting at this step, you will be creating and organizing all of your online presence- from blogs to social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.
You will also be choosing your platform(s) and what content you want to publish across these areas. This is an integral part of marketing yourself because it creates consistency for your audience!
Your followers and watchers can easily access your content depending on which channel they choose to visit yours on. For example, if someone wants to read an article about how to do something related to your business, then YouTube is the best place to post it since most people have access to that.
But if they wanted to view another article like “Top Ways To Improve Your Writing”, then their choice would depend on whether or not they found your writing before to be good and engaging. If so, then their option would be reading that article on your personal website or via a free publication site like Medium or Wattpad.
Now that you have determined what type of business you want to start, and gathered some necessary materials, it is time to create your own online space where people can read about your products and services and get information or calls to action (discussion questions or actions for users to take). This space is your web site!
Your website should be professional looking with rich content. The look and feel of your site will influence how people perceive your business. Make sure to include Your company name and logo, contact info, and an easy way for visitors to find out more about you and what you offer.
After they are done exploring your site, most people will quickly leave if they cannot easily access their computer, smartphone, or tablet so that they can add you as a friend or follow you on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter.
If there’s one thing I've learned in my career, it's that no matter who you're talking to, they all have oodles of secrets and things they'd love to share but don't because they fear someone else may steal their thunder by speaking first. As a blogger, this could cost you dearly in terms of engagement and traffic.
I understand such fears very well since I once had them myself. If you ever experience these symptoms, try giving away something of yours instead - even if it's a small token- and see what happens.
